1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wood planing machine, more particularly to a wood planing machine with a bed locking unit which has a simple structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional wood planing machine 10 is shown to include a machine body 11, a workpiece-support bed 13, a cutter unit 14, a bed-raising unit 15, and a bed-locking unit 16.
As illustrated, the machine body 11 has a pair of spaced apart side walls 12, each of which is formed with a pair of vertical slots 121 therethrough. The workpiece-support bed 13 is disposed movably in the machine body 11 between the side walls 12 and under the cutter unit 14. The bed-locking unit 16 secures the bed 13 to the side walls 12.
The bed-raising unit 15 is associated with the workpiece-support bed 13 for adjusting the height of the bed 13 relative the cutter unit 14.
The bed-locking unit 16 includes left and right pairs of engaging pieces 161 which are fixed on the left and right portions of the workpiece-support bed 13, which extend into the slots 121, and which are formed with screw holes, and left and right pairs of clamping plates 162 which are disposed on outer sides of the side walls 12 and which threadedly engage the screw holes in the engaging pieces 161. The clamping plates 162 are provided with turning handles 163.
When a desired height of the workpiece-support bed 13 relative to the cutter unit 14 has been achieved, each of the clamping plates 162 is turned in a clockwise direction, where the clamping plates 162 are forced to abut against the side walls 12 so as to lock the workpiece-support bed 13 relative to the side walls 12. It is inconvenient and time-consuming to turn the clamping plates 162 one after another.
Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide a wood planing machine which includes a bed-locking unit of a simple construction and which is clear of the aforementioned drawback that results from the use of the conventional wood planing machine.
Accordingly, the wood planing machine of the present invention includes a machine body with opposite side walls, a workpiece-support bed, a bed-raising unit, and a bed locking unit. Each of the side walls has a pair of vertical slots formed therethrough. The workpiece-support bed is disposed between the side walls, and is movable along the slots. The bed-raising unit is mounted on the machine body, and is operably associated with the workpiece-support bed in such a manner that operation of the bed-raising unit results in movement of the workpiece-support bed within the machine body. The bed locking unit includes two horizontally spaced apart and interconnected locking rods, and left and right nut units. The locking rods extend through the workpiece-support bed and the slots in the side walls, and have left and right threaded ends of opposite thread directions. The threaded ends of the locking rods are exposed from the slots in the side walls. The locking rods are axially rotatable. The left and right nut units are disposed outside of the machine body adjacent to the left and right side walls, respectively, and include a pair of internally threaded right nuts which are mounted threadedly on the right threaded ends of the locking rods and disposed non-rotatably on the machine body and which have wall abutting flanges extending outwardly and radially from the right nuts, and a pair of internally threaded left nuts which are mounted threadedly on the left threaded ends of the locking rods and disposed non-rotatably on the machine body and which have wall abutting flanges extending outwardly and radially from the left nuts. Rotation of the locking rods results in axial movement of the left and right nut units toward or away from each other and consequently causes the wall abutting flanges of the left and right nuts to engage or disengage the side walls, thereby locking or unlocking the workpiece-support bed on the side walls of the machine body.